Tessa's Recipe Rundown
Taste: Sweet and tangy with a hint of both lemon and vanilla for perfect balance.
Texture: Creamy and rich without being heavy with a crisp buttery crust.
Ease: Much easier than a full-sized cheesecake, no springform pan or water bath required!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: You get all the flavor of classic cheesecake in neat, portable squares that bake fast and slice beautifully.
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As much as I love a tall, dramatic cheesecake, they can be finicky. Water baths, cracked tops, guessing if the center is done… it can be a headache.
These cheesecake bars remove all of that stress.
Because they’re thinner, they bake more evenly and cool faster. There’s less risk of dramatic cracking, no need for a water bath, and slicing is simple thanks to the parchment overhang.
In my testing, this format is significantly more forgiving for home bakers, especially if this is your first time making cheesecake.
If you’ve ever been intimidated by cheesecake, this is where to start.
Reader Love
I LOVE this recipe!!!!! This is my go to recipe when I want cheesecake but not the hassle of the water bath and stuff. I also love how well they cut into bars which is perfect for entertaining. I added some mini Chocolate Chips a few times and that was a huge hit! Great recipe! Thank you for sharing!!!!
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Reader Love
These are PERFECT!!! No toppings needed! DELICIOUS! Everyone raved about them! Follow the instructions and you’ll have a perfectly perfect tray of cheesecake bars to die for!!!
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Sprinkle of Science
Ingredient Notes
A few key ingredients truly determine whether your cheesecake bars turn out creamy or disappointing:
- Graham Crackers: Finely ground crumbs are essential. Large crumbs create a crumbly mess when sliced. A food processor works best for even texture. Feel free to use store-bought crumbs.
- Cream Cheese: Use full-fat blocks, not tubs. Make sure it’s completely softened to room temperature. Quality matters here! I prefer Philadelphia.
- Sour Cream: Adds tang and softens the texture slightly. Without it, the bars are noticeably denser. You can use full-fat plain yogurt instead if needed.
- Eggs: Essential for structure. I have yet to find a suitable substitute. Make sure they’re at room temperature so they blend into the batter smoothly.
- Lemon Juice: You won’t taste lemon directly — it enhances the cheesecake’s tang and balances sweetness.
How to Make Cheesecake Bars (Step-by-Step)
- Prepare the pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9 by 13-inch pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides for easy removal and slicing. I prefer metal pans because they create straight edges and bake more evenly.
- Make the crust. Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until very fine (or use premade crumbs). Add melted butter and pulse until moistened. The mixture should hold together when squeezed between your fingers. Press firmly into the pan with the bottom of a measuring cup so it won’t crumble later. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 325°F.
- Beat the cream cheese and sugar. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened cream cheese and sugar for at least 1 full minute, or until completely smooth. Scrape down the bowl.
- Add remaining ingredients. Mix in the sour cream, then the eggs one at a time. Don’t overmix once the eggs are added. Stir in the vanilla, lemon juice, and salt. The batter should be thick and smooth.
- Bake. Pour into the cooled crust then tap the whole pan on the counter to release air bubbles. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until:
- Edges are slightly puffed and look dry
- The center jiggles and wobbles just slightly when shaken
- The internal temperature reaches about 150-155°F
- Cool & chill. Cool completely at room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. This is essential to well-set bars with balanced flavor. Use a large sharp knife and wipe it off in between cutting for clean slices.
Storage & Make Ahead
These bars can be made and refrigerated 2 days ahead of time or frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge or on the counter for a couple of hours before serving.
FAQs
You can use the same amount (2 cups or 270g crumbs) of digestive biscuits, vanilla wafers, Biscoff cookies, or any crunchy cookie you’d like! Please note that Biscoff cookies are a little richer than graham crackers (which are drier), so add just enough butter until it holds together when pressed.
No. Because they are thinner than a traditional cheesecake, they bake more evenly and are less prone to cracking.
Watery cheesecake bars are usually caused by underbaking, using reduced-fat or generic cream cheese, or not chilling long enough. I always bake with Philadelphia brand cream cheese. The center should reach about 150–155°F before cooling.
Yes, halve all ingredients and bake in an 8×8-inch pan. Reduce bake time slightly and look for the same visual doneness cues.
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Ingredients
For the crust:
- 18 (270 grams) graham crackers
- 12 tablespoons (170 grams) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
For the filling:
- 32 ounces cream cheese, completely softened to room temperature
- 2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (114 grams) sour cream, at room temperature
- 6 large eggs, at room temperature
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Topping options:
Chocolate ganache (use 1:1 ratio) Salted caramel sauce Butterscotch sauce - Fruit preserves
- Whipped cream
- Fresh fruit
Instructions
Make the crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with parchment, leaving an overhang.
- In a food processor, pulse the crackers until finely ground. Add the butter and pulse until moistened. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan using the bottom of a measuring cup or glass. Bake until fragrant, about 10 minutes (longer if using a glass dish). Place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
Make the filling:
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl often, for at least 1 minute. Add the sour cream, then the eggs one at a time, blending after each addition until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in vanilla, lemon juice, and salt, and blend until just combined. Don’t over-mix.
- Spread batter evenly over cooled crust. Tap against the counter a few times to release air bubbles. Bake at 325°F until just set in center and edges are puffed and slightly cracked, about 40 to 45 minutes (longer if using a glass dish). Transfer to rack to let cool completely.
- Cover with foil and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight before slicing into squares.
- The cheesecake can be made and refrigerated 2 days ahead of time or frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
More Cheesecake Bar Recipes You’ll Love:
- Nutella Cheesecake Bars
- Creme Brulee Cheesecake Bars
- Chocolate Stout Cheesecake Bars
- Raspberry Lemonade Cheesecake Bars
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars
Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
I’ve never made cheesecake before. I made these especially for my son in law. He loved them. Theses are better than original cheesecake Easy to make and DELICIOUS
The cheesecake bars were fabulous! Everyone loved them. I’d love to know how to adjust to make as mini cheesecakes instead.
100% Everyone was asking for the recipe the day after Christmas Eve dinner! I say it was more than a hit!
There are literally no words for this recipe. Could not be more perfect.
absolutely delicious! Chopped up snickers bar to put on top, rave reviews from the company.
If I want to use boxed, pre-crushed graham crackers how many cups and grams should I use?
Hi Beverley! You can use the same grams measurement listed in the recipe – 270 grams of graham crackers or the same of graham cracker crumbs 🙂 Happy baking!
This cheesecake is amazing! Delicious. Easy to make. I brought it to a party and everyone loved it. I was careful to follow directions. Room temperature ingredients. Didn’t over mix. Pressed graham cracker mixture onto parchment paper in dish. The instructions say to bake crust until it’s fragrant- which was a great instruction. At 10 minutes it had no fragrance, but at 12 minutes it smelled wonderful! I was careful to press the graham cracker mixture firmly and evenly and it came out perfect. I used a glass dish and cooked the cheesecake for an extra 10 minutes. I made it about a week before I needed it, so I refrigerated it over night, then I froze it. I took it out the morning I was going to serve it and I cut it while frozen, which made perfect squares. Everyone asked for the recipe!
Hi Ellen! Such great feedback! I’m so excited you and your friends enjoyed these bars so much, and I’m glad Tessa’s instructions were so helpful! Thanks for the comment 🙂
I have made this recipe several times and it always turns out great! It’s a new family favorite.
So happy to hear that! Thanks for letting us know! 🙂
I haven’t cut into this baby yet but I needed maybe 8 additional minutes past the 45. So much goodness! But I went by your instructions for slightly cracked outside and slightly loose inside so I think we’ve got a winner! I have a few bubbles. Maybe over mixing. Nothing a few cherries can’t take care of. No sinking or surface cracks!
Yay! So happy to hear that 🙂 Can’t wait for you to enjoy, they’re a favorite of mine for sure!
These look lovely! What can be substituted for eggs to make an eggless version?
Hi Max! We don’t bake egg-free recipes, so I can’t say for sure!
Rather than trying to substitute for the eggs, look for an egg-less recipe; there are plenty online, and I’m sure you can find one that you like. Typically, cornstarch and/sweetened condensed milk is used to help the cheesecake set. Eggs do a lot of different things in different recipes, so finding an appropriate substitute is often a lot harder than finding a recipe that’s already been formulated and tested without using eggs.
So simple, yet absolutely delicous! The cheesecake is pure perfection. I will not be using any other recipe if I want to make cheesecake again because this is just the best!
So happy you enjoyed them!
I’ve been trying out different cheesecake bar recipes lately & this one was so far above the rest. Seriously so delicious. It was a complete hit with the family.
So happy everyone enjoyed them! Thanks for the comment!